Some topics, thoughts etc about the game

Comments

• mike470 General CorrespondentMember Posts: 2,396

  August 2008

  In your post you're asking for a lot.  Many of this has never been seen in any MMO before, and I'm not sure if it is possible.

  1a, planets and moons:  I would like to have a moon, and there is.  I don't really see the need for planets as CoS isn't sci-fi, so everything will be done on Citadel (Earth).   As for the arrows, I find that an interesting idea and concept, but yet another thing we have yet to see in an MMO (is it possible?).  Although we do know that MMO Magic is considering havign weather affect the speed of arrows, although this ahs not been written in stone yet.

  1b,  Awesome idea, I love it.  This involves a good amount of physics, as certain seasons bring certain tides to different parts of the world.  I think the idea is great, the problem is how low a tide actually has to be.  If the time of the season doesn't bring a low enough tide, then the players will have to wait a long time.  Although, it would be neat if only certain quests were for certain seasons.

  2a, Deities:  I don't know..I don't like religion in games having too much of an affect ont he overall outcome.  I was never a fan of having religion in games, although it would be an interesting option.

  This way, only priests of certain religions can put a certain blessings on things.  So if you want the sun blessing for your necklace, it will give you an extra bonus of fire spells..this will also decrease the amoutn of damage a player does involving water spells.

  I think religion should be in, but only there for players who want to become priests or monks or something like that.

  3a, Death:  Firstly, CoS plans to have penalties for death.  The problem with bonuses for living longer is what happens right after death.  Once a player dies and loses that bonus, then where is the risk?  They can just run in without anything to lose, since they have no bonus.

  Death is a very tricky part of any game, and it seems to be a trend for experience loss.  I hate that penalty, but it seems like the only thing that works well.  I would LOVE to see a game where players drop loot when they die (PvE or PvP, I don't care) because it adds the risk to the game.  It makes you know that the penalty will be costly, and not just a loss of experience.

  3b, dying too many times:  I don't believe there should be a penalty for dyign too many times.  Jatar has already stated that a player will never become a ghost in the game also.

  4a, Environment:  First I'll go over what you talked about. 

  Clothing:  I think this would be an interesting feature, but is it possible?  I think it would be great, and make the game much more realistic if different clothign was for different seasons, but I don't know if this is really possible for an MMO.  It would be a great feature though.

  Swimming:  I think water should slow a player down slightly, since they will be more damp.  IF it is a winter day, then beign wet could lead to a player getting sick or overly cold (not sure if becomign sick is going to be in CoS).

  A little more about environment....I woudl love to see the environment to change around me.  To see natural disasters (it is possible) to different types of animals fighting for land.  OR mabye a little tree slowly grows and becomes huge.  It is then chopped down, but people plant new seeds for new trees to grow back (this would obviously take awhile). 

  I would also think it would be neat to have different types of places.  Places liek deserts, mountains, rain forests, etc.

  I'm just brainstorming here, to see if there are any good ideas that could come out of them.

  IMHO, this takes a lot of imagination, breehorn.  I would love these things seen in the game, but things like clothing, sickness, etc., are not seen in  many MMOs today.  Remember, this is very costly, and I'm not even sure if half the ideas are possible.

  -Mike

  __________________________________________________
  In memory of Laura "Taera" Genender. Passed away on Aug/13/08 - Rest In Peace; you will not be forgotten
• Jatar Member UncommonPosts: 348

  August 2008

  Originally posted by breehoorn
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I have watched the forum more or less from the start and here are some thiughts I have about the game. Maybe someone else already mentioned then. If that's the case my apologies and put me straight.
  Planet and moons:
  For Mike's list I saw that the world surface is 900.000.000 km2 (think it is but it can also be only land mass). Assuming the world is a sphere, this means it's radius will be 8400 km. Earth radius is 6300 km. Assuming the same average density for the world as Earth, it's easily calculated the gravity constant will be 13 m/s2, which is ca. 30% larger then Earth.  Will this effect how life has been evolved or how far arrows will fly, etc?
  Though I am amused that you figured out the radius of our planet and such, the truth is that the world size is an estimate.  The world will be around the size of earth, and that figure includes all the oceans as well.   Gravity will be earth normal.
  Will there be moons and which rotate around the world and as result tides. I would love to have tides. Thinking about quests in which you must enter caves under water and can only be entered at low tide otherwise you drown.
  We are planning on two moons.  We considered two suns, but the fact that we do real time shadows on everything cast by the sun meant that we just added a level of complexity to the shadow calculations that were not worth the visual of two suns.  However, our moons will affect the tides (so yes, there will be tides).
   
  Deities:
  Can you worship deities and if so will they have an influence. I mean let's assume you worship one of the moons or other gods based upon planets. When the moon is full your skills are stronger but with a new moon your skills are weaker. Or you worship the sun, during daylight you get a bonus in the night that bonus is away, etc.
  This is a tricky area.  Truth is, I can't talk about this much yet.  We have a big story included about this game, which is ongoing since time moves on (not just a back story).  This story deals with deities.  I can't tell you how, but I will tell you that players will NOT be worshiping any deities that respond to them.  NPCs, however, can be dumb enough to do so.  Again, why that would make them dumb must be left to the future.  You, as a player, will be dealing with cults worshiping various gods, and they will be quite vexed with you at times .
  If possible there should also be deities which are present but can't be worshipped but show themselves on random occasions. An example. You enter a village, the mayor complains there isn't enough bread because there isn't enough flour. The miller complains there is no wind to mill the wheat but he knows a sorcerer who may help. You go to the sorcerer and he gives you a windbag which will catch some wind. You do that and you go back to the miller. He then opens the back and releases the wind. The windmill start working (which of course you will see I hope) and there is flour. You get the XP and everybody is happy except the wind deity. It would be fun that later in the game you will be blown to the ground or something will fall from the sky on your head and you hear the wind deity say don't ever steal my winds again or you will regret it.
  See answer above.
  
   
  Death and beyond:
  The main problem I have with MMO's is that the characters, and everything else for that matter, is immortally. Ok you can die but it only an nuisance, it cost some money, you get temporarily penalty but that's it. Unfortunate I don't have a solution for that, mortal would be the best but I know nobody likes that. So I would like to see as well that when you don't die you get a bonus, that bonus is permanent and will grow the longer you stay alive (if you die you loss that bonus). Coupled with that it would be great that there is a kind of "end" quest you can do only at a certain bonus and you need that bonus because it will be impossible to do without.
  Though we agree with you, the realities of a game like this do require that death not be perminent (if we want players continuing to play our game).  We have been considering the 'reward' for not dying system, as well as a penalty for dying.  This does give an increased incentive to players to stay alive.
  
   
  Dying to many times:
  Would it be interested that when you die too often (and it accumulates no reset) you can't be resurrected any more (but all the time i have put into my character I hear you thinking) and you will become a ghost. You enter thus a new type of game where you are a ghost. To survive, this ghost needs energy and will drop to zero if you dont start killing living creatures or players. When you kill enough creatures and very fast after each other then you level up to become a spectre or something else. More powerful but also more energy hungry. This can continue to even more powerful beings.But if energy is zero that's really the end.
  Dying too many times in CoS has a penalty already, but we haven't released the details of that yet.  Sorry.
  
   
  Environment:
  Some other annoying things in MMO's. How can I wear the same clothes on top of mountains covered with snow and in the dessert. Depending on where you are you must wear clothes which suites the environment best. Also fighting in the dessert at mid day is more though then at in the morning in normal climate area's. Will CoS take that into account? Also casting a fire spell under water is useless but a water spell will be more powerful for example.
  If swimming is an option does this effect my fighting when coming at of the water or am I dry the moment I step out of it. And if I swim, where will my horse be?
  Clothing will make a difference in different environments.  The simple example is that if you wear plate armor into water you WILL sink.  You can walk on the bottom, if you can hold your breath long enough to get out.  But, you would be wiser to change out of your armor before swiming.  As for other environments, we are considering how much we want to include.  Snow and desert are the most likely ones to require specal clothing changes.  However, there are other areas where changing clothes will matter.  You may be invited to an audience with a King of a forign country.  Showing up in rough leathers might afront the king... so you better have some dress clothes as well.  Or... going to a public bath in your street clothes is just not done.... better have a toga available or you can't get in.  In other words, the are appropriate outfits for situations, both social and environmental in CoS.  To what extent?  We're still workng on that.
  Seasons:
  Do CoS have seasons and will it effect the game. For example, in the winter mountains can't be passed because of the snow and there will actually lay snow on the mountain pass. So a quest which need to be done on the other side can only be done in the summer. When it rains will we see roads become dirty. In the summer will rivers be small or even dry and in the autumn or spring the will be bigger due to rain fall or melting of snow. You may even couple quests around seasons, saving a village because the water in the river rises to high or drought in the summer.
  Yes, we are planning on seasons, and yes they will have effects on the game as you play.
  
  
   
  Well it's a bit longer then I expected and not completely finished but this is the end. I wonder if someone have read it all. If so thanks for reading it.
  

   
• breehoorn Member Posts: 6

  August 2008

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Thanks for the response and all will be revealed in due time. Patience is great virtue. Nice to read that some issues has been tackled by the team. Great job.

   

  The calculation wasn't that difficult and I agree that you don't take a higher gravity into account (if you would make a SF MMO well then it would be another case). I was just curious what the gravity constant would be and didn't want to keep the answer it for myself (it shows that giving a number is always dangerous).

   

  Dying, death will always be a problem in MMO some way or the other. The main problem is with MMO's nowadays a heavy load high lvl players and no newcomers so empty starting area's. It's like a pyramid but then up side down. Or in business terms, only managers/directors but were is the labour force? What I have learned a pyramid upside down will not work. I wonder how the game will cope with this issue. Don't need to tell me anything, I will see it for myself in due time.

   

  One thing which would be great, travelling across the land by means of Zeppelins or balloons and not only horses. Not to own one (hmm that would be nice), but like a means of transportation (public transport). I'm thinking like the trasportation system in Durdane (written by Jack Vance).

   

  Well enough said, seems the team has analysed present and past MMO's well enough and pointed out the weak points and tackled them.